Quake hits Indonesia's Sumatra, just days after deadly tremor - A strong 6.4-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra Saturday, just days after a tremor on the vast island killed dozens and left thousands homeless. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no reports of damage after the quake struck at a shallow depth of just 23 kilometres off the southwest coast of the vast island. The epicentre was close to the remote archipelago of Mentawai. In 2010, a 7.7-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that left more than 400 people dead on the island chain.
"Judging from the quake's magnitude and the distance from the epicentre to the land, I don't think the quake will have a significant impact. There's little potential to cause damage." It was felt mildly by people in two provinces on Sumatra. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert. It came after a 6.1-magnitude inland tremor on Tuesday struck Aceh, on Sumatra's northern tip, flattening buildings and sparking landslides in the mountainous interior of the natural disaster-prone province.
So far 35 people have been confirmed dead from Tuesday's quake and some 16,000 left homeless. In 2004, a quake-triggered tsunami left more than 170,000 people dead in Aceh, as well as tens of thousands more in countries around the Indian Ocean. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

**Of all the things that can be stolen from you –
your possessions, your youth, your health, your words, your rights – what no one can ever take from you is
your freedom to choose what you will believe in,
and who and what your heart will love.**

Indonesia - Rescue crews rushed on Wednesday to pull victims from landslides in Bener Mariah district where at least 14 died and hundreds were injured in Tuesday’s quake. Local hospitals were flooded with 43 patients on Wednesday, while an additional 61 sought treatment at community health centers. “Officials along with local people and volunteers keep searching for victims in the ruins and landslides."
Province-wide, the death toll from the earthquake reached 42 by Wednesday nigh. Some 300 people camped out overnight in open spaces, such as football fields, as the area was hit by strong aftershock. Many were in desperate need of food. “There were strong aftershocks last night and people didn’t want to go back home, so they stayed in the open overnight, but we don’t have enough tents. We have a power outage now and communications are unreliable.”
In nearby Central Aceh, some 17 people were reported dead, including at least six children killed when a mosque collapsed during a Koran reading session. Rescuers dug all night with an excavator through the rubble of the mosque looking for more children believed to be trapped but no more bodies had as yet been found. Most houses in the village had collapsed and residents were digging through the remains of the buildings with their bare hands to search for their belongings.
Bodies of the dead were laid out and covered in blankets at a makeshift emergency health post in the village. “This is THE BIGGEST EARTHQUAKE WE'VE EVER HAD HERE. People are still frightened, especially after the aftershocks last night. Nobody dared to stay at home. Everyone slept on the roads or in car parks. The earthquake triggered many landslides. People could not get out of the area because of fallen trees and mounds of earth blocking roads.”
More than 1,600 homes were reportedly flattened in the quake. The main hospital in the district was overwhelmed and tents had been set up outside to treat the flood of patients. Food and water were in short supply. Military, police and local government officials were trying to head to affected areas by ground and in aircraft but some roads were blocked by landslips. The earthquake knocked out power and cell phone service in much of the two disaster zones leaving residents, many with missing relatives, unable to reach loved ones.
The 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck 35 kilometers southwest of Redolong, Bener Meriah, on Tuesday. The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, shaking homes as far away as Malaysia. People ran outside in the provincial capital Banda Aceh as the quake — some 320 kilometers away — shook houses, and in Medan city to the south of the province. Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, is regularly hit by quakes. The huge quake-triggered tsunami of 2004 not only killed tens of thousands in the province, but also many in countries around the Indian Ocean. In April last year an 8.6-magnitude quake struck 431 kilometres off Banda Aceh, prompting an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert. Five people died and seven were injured in Aceh in the quake and following aftershocks. In September 2009 a major earthquake near Padang city on Sumatra killed more than 1,000 people.

Mexico - Popocatepetl volcano caused more Mexico flight chaos. US airlines have cancelled flights into and out of Mexico City for a second day over fears that ash from a rumbling volcano could affect their planes.
Delta and United Airlines were among the companies that stopped at least a dozen flights on Friday. On Thursday, more than 40 flights were cancelled, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. Popocatepetl volcano has been rumbling all year, and began spewing ash and steam earlier in the week. Airport authorities insisted there was no danger.
"There is a very thin presence of ash, which does not harm operations or affect equipment." Frustrated passengers have been forced to wait for hours at Mexico City airport. A spokesman for the airport said any change in the wind or intensity of the volcano would complicate the situation.
Mexican airlines continued to fly into the airport as scheduled. Most operations were getting back to normal later on Friday, officials said. The authorities established an 11-km (seven-mile) no-go zone around the volcano, which lies 70km (40 miles) south-east of the airport. Popocatepetl has intensified in activity since May, and the alert level is currently set one notch below evacuation level. Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Centre reported tremors and columns of ash and vapour at Popocatepetl on Friday. It advised people living around the volcano to take precautions such as using masks, covering water supplies and staying indoors.

In the Eastern Pacific - Tropical depression Dalila was located about 465 mi (750 km) SSW of the southern tip of Baja California. Weakening is forecast and Dalila is forecast to become a remnant low early Sunday.

Hurricane Erick was located approximately 395 mi (640 km) SE of the southern tip of Baja California. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Manzanillo to Cabo Corrientes. Erick is forecast to approach the southern Baja California peninsula late today and pass near the southern portion of the peninsula tonight or early Monday. Swells generated by Erick are affecting the coast of southwest Mexico.

In the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Erick is brushing the southwestern coast of Mexico, and is expected to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday afternoon. Erick will bring heavy rains of 3 - 5 inches to Southwest Mexico, but the core of the storm is currently expected to remain just offshore. Erick will likely weaken to a tropical storm on Monday, when it will pass just south of Baja. Three other disturbances have been given a low, 20% chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm by Monday.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

Severe storm buries New Mexico town under 2 feet of hail - Emergency officials and residents of one New Mexico town spent their Independence Day assessing the damage after a severe storm buried the area under two feet of hail Wednesday evening.
The severe hail storm struck the town of Santa Rosa just after 6 p.m. MDT Wednesday, about 115 miles east of Albuquerque, with hail up to the size of golfballs, damaging multiple vehicles, homes and businesses. Many drivers were stranded on area roads and highways but there were no reports of injuries. Snow plows had to be brought out to clear the hail drifts. "Some people I talked to were stuck for five to six hours. It's just really bad, SOMETHING I'VE NEVER SEEN IN MY 50 YEARS OF LIFE. I've never seen anything like this."
Large accumulations of hail with severe storms are fairly common during the summer in northeast New Mexico because of the high elevation. A severe hail storm earlier this year, back in March, caused millions of dollars in damage after pounding central Mississippi including the capital city of Jackson with hail up to the size of baseballs. (photos)

Extreme weather in Tasmania last Monday - Wild winds ripped off roofs, downed power lines and tore boats from their moorings in Tasmania on Monday, July 1. Extreme wind gusts are set to continue that week with 80-90km/h gusts predicted for Tuesday, easing a little Wednesday and Thursday and returning on Friday with temperatures plummeting to 6C and snow predicted for Mt Wellington and the Central Highlands.
A severe weather warning of winds up to 100km/h was issued by the Weather Bureau at 9.30am Monday but emergency services were SHOCKED AT THE FEROCITY OF THE GUSTS. "I think it took everyone by surprise." Maatsuyker Island had the highest wind gust of 133km/h, Mt Wellington was close behind with 131km/h and Hobart city recorded a gust of 98km/h.
Boats lost their moorings at Geilston Bay and Old Beach and one boat owner, who did not want to be identified, was forced to standby and watch his large catamaran smashed against the rocks of a narrow cove north of Opossum Bay. A member of the public also reported that a yacht was flattened by a shipping container at the Brighton Industrial Estate. The owner parked the $30,000 boat on a trailer attached to a 4WD in a space between three stacks of shipping containers three levels high to protect the boat from getting scratched. One of the containers was blown over in the wind and landed on the boat, flattening it. No one was injured in the incident.
The whole of the Northern Suburbs went off the power grid just after 12.30pm when a large piece of iron roofing torn from a factory in Sunderland St, Moonah, smashed into powerlines. Police took over intersections at major junctions along the Brooker Highway until power was partially restored two hours later.

- The Rhode Island Department of Health advises consumers not to eat Mediterranean Olives: Calcidica Sweet (Brand: Bel Frantoio) sold at any Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL) stores. OSJL is voluntarily recalling the product after HEALTH staff discovered that these products were not handled appropriately to prevent production of the toxin that causes botulism.

About Me

Hello and welcome!
I'm Crystal - the sole creator and maintainer of this site.
I started the webpage in 1998 - just before the turn of the millenium, when everyone was talking about the disasters that were coming.